


if you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting

by slytherbyun



Series: time after time [2]
Category: EXO (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Mentions of Behavior Therapy, Mentions of Thesis, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Professors, Psychology, Teacher-Student Relationship, cursing
Language: Filipino
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:13:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27642599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherbyun/pseuds/slytherbyun
Summary: the fact that they maintained their friendship for two years was enough for jeonghan.even if he wanted more.turns out, sehun does too.
Relationships: Oh Sehun/Yoon Jeonghan
Series: time after time [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2065542
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	if you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to "the second hand unwinds"
> 
> Commissioned for #FicsForACause

_ 2 years later  _

_ 1st semester, AY 2019-2020 _

_ August 2019 _

“Pagod na pagod na ako.”

Jeonghan was sitting in the familiar spot of Correon Malate he frequents. Kita nanaman ang maraming estudyanteng nagccram ng kung anu-anong requirements para sa kani-kanilang mga subject. This time though, he was not alone.

“Umusad na ba thesis mo?”

Here he was again with Sehun Oh, his professor. Two years ago, nang malaman ni Jeonghan na si Sehun pala ang bagong faculty member ng department, nganga was an understatement. Hirap siyang pakitunguhan yung tao na kung tutuusuin, tinulungan siya sa pinaassignment niya. Pero there was something that sparked between them that night, which led them to develop this closeness. They’ve frequently hung out outside classes, and na-establish naman na na talagang magkaibigan silang dalawa.

_ Cute. _

Even after two years of some sort of a friendship, for Jeonghan, he will always see Sehun as the man who helped him write a stupid paper he could now do in his sleep.

“Pwede bang walang usapang thesis dito, Kuya Sehun?” Walang magawa si Jeonghan kundi magpacute kay Sehun para tantanan na siya nito tungkol sa thesis.

“Daya nito,” asar ng nakakatanda. “Napasa mo na ba kay Sir Junmyeon?”

“Oo naman, nakay Sir na. Waiting for revisions,” pinagmayabang ni Jeonghan.

Sehun took a sip of his coffee, nodding in approval. “So bakit ka nagyaya lumabas?”

“Wala lang, tips sana for practicum?” ngisi ni Jeonghan habang nagttype.

“Sa clinic ba namin ikaw naassign?”

“Yep.”

Sehun gave a wide smile, one which always sends Jeonghan into a frenzy.  _ Bawal magkacrush sa prof diba? Ano tawag kung two years mo nang crush? _

“Ingat ka sa kanila, madadaldal sila,” biro ni Sehun.

Ngumisi na lang si Jeonghan, walang makumentong may substance. “Tapos ka na sa ididiscuss mo bukas?”

“Personality lang naman ituturo ko bukas, yung Ab Psych naman, matagal nang may slides,” nagmayabang si Sehun, proud na hindi nagccram ng lesson.

“Yabang mo talaga,” asar ni Jeonghan, sabay balik sa pagsusulat ng paper para sa klase niya sa propesor na kasama niya.

“Case vignette lang ‘yan, baka mahirapan ka pa dyan.”

“Tangina mo, Sir.”

They settled into the comfortable silence they’ve grown to appreciate since they’ve met. Jeonghan was busy working on papers, Sehun busy grading them. They would occasionally bring up a topic for conversation, but sooner or later, they delve back into the silence once more.

“Nakuha ko na paper mo,” biglang sabi ni Sehun. “Nice analysis.”

“Aba dapat lang, kanina pa ako nakatitig sa DSM 5 para masulat ‘yan,” sabi ni Jeonghan habang pinapatay laptop niya.

“Maayos naman paper mo eh,” sabi ni Sehun. Busy na siya magbasa, hindi na kumibo muli. He would smile at the paper, kaya alam na ni Jeonghan na kanya yung binabasa.

“May mali ba?”

“Wala naman,” sabi ni Sehun. “Naalala ko lang noong hirap ka magsulat ng paper para sa TOP.”

Jeonghan involuntarily blushed; he recalled how  _ stupid  _ he was that night for thinking his professor was cute, smart, funny, and basically, Mister Sungit na Perfect.

Pero putangina prof niya pala.

“Tama na uy!” sinara ni Jeonghan laptop ni Sehun. “Para kang gago.”

“Yes, minumura mo prof mo?” asar sa kanya ni Sehun habang nagliligpit na ng gamit.

“Bahala ka na nga dyan, uuwi na ako.”

“Hatid na kita,” ani Sehun.

In the two years na magkakilala sila, never hinatid ni Sehun si Jeonghan sa condo. Lagi silang naghihiwalay sa Rob, o kaya sa Correon, pero never siya sinamahan pa-condo.  _ What is the meaning of this, I wonder? _

_ Or assuming lang ba ako? _

“Bahala ka dyan.”

Nagsimula na maglakad ang dalawa tungo sa Two Adriatico, kung saan naninirahan si Jeonghan kasama sina Seungcheol at Joshua. Malapit-lapit lang naman ito sa Correon, at mas malapit din sa bahay ni Sehun sa may Pedro Gil.

“One more thing,” sabi ni Sehun bago iwan si Jeonghan sa lobby.

“Ano ‘yon?”

“Kung tanungin ka nila about me, wag mo na lang seryosohin.”

Natanga nanaman si Jeonghan, hindi sigurado sa ibig sabihin ng nakatatanda. Ang tanging lumabas na lamang mula sa bibig niya ay “Ano?”

“Wala, sabi ko ang cute mo.”

_ Tangina mo, Sir Sehun. _

“Sus, ‘di na lang sabihin eh.”

Nakarating na sila sa labas ng condo, and Jeonghan was just confused at the way Sehun was staring at him. Para bang titig na titig pero may bahid ng takot? Hindi mawari ni Jeonghan ang tunay na mga emosyon na nasa likod ng mga malulungkot na mata ng kanyang crush-- _ este, prof.  _ Magtatanong na sana si Jeonghan kung ano ba ang nararamdaman ni Sehun nang siya ay yakapin nito.

Lagi naman sila nagyayakapan, lalo na kapag si Jeonghan ay on the brink of having a nervous breakdown, but this...this felt different.

“Uy,” sabi ni Jeonghan, pulling away from the hug.

“Wala,” ngiti lang si Sehun. “Akyat ka na. Baka nag-aalala na sila Joshua sa’yo.”

Sehun waved goodbye, walking away, leaving a dumbfounded Jeonghan stuck in place.

~•~•~•~•~•~

Jeonghan and Joshua were already on their way to the clinic in Makati for their internship. They were assigned to be behavior therapists in training for their clinical rotation. In previous years, usually the seniors would get deployed to the hospital across them, pero dahil nagpresenta si Sehun na subukan magpaalam sa kanyang dating pinagtatrabahuan, they tried to see if they could give students experience in that field, which thankfully, Sehun’s former employers said yes to.

Jeonghan and Joshua were two out of the four lucky students who were able to secure slots for this internship site, with the remaining three assigned sa second rotation.

_ From: Mr. Sungit _

_ Good luck today! If may tanong ka, wag kang mahiya magtext. Sapakin kita. _

The text message instantly lifted Jeonghan’s mood, pero at the same time, mas lalong bumigat yung kaba--lalo na noong naalala niya yung sinabi ni Sehun noong isang gabi.

_ Ano bang alam nila? _

“Hoy Jeonghan,” Joshua called him, distracting him from the thoughts inside his head.

“Ano nanaman?” pabirong pagtaray ni Jeonghan sa kaibigan.

“You better keep your cool, friends ni Sir Sehun yung mga kasama natin.”

Joshua was the only person who knew what was going on--of the feelings he had for their professor. Being his best friend since they were practically in diapers, alam na ni Joshua kung may nagbago kay Jeonghan. At meron nga.

_ “Han.” _

_ Jeonghan looked at his best friend, who was looking at him dead serious. Alam na niya na seryoso yung pag-uusapan nila, kaya tinigil na ni Jeonghan ang panonood ng FRIENDS (na sabi ni Joshua, pinakamagandang sitcom sa balat ng lupa). _

_ “Shuji ko, what’s up?” inosenteng tanong ni Jeonghan sa kaibigan. _

_ Lumakad papalapit si Joshua at umupo sa kama. “Crush mo siya, no?” _

_ “Ha?” tamang tanga-tangahan lang. Kasi the more you say things out loud, the more you acknowledge that it was real. For once in his life, Jeonghan did not want any of this to be real. _

_ “Si Sir Oh.” _

_ Ano pa bang point? Hindi na lang magtatago, diba? Alam na ni Joshua, there’s no use in lying. _

_ “Shua…” _

_ “These kinds of things don’t end well, Han. So I just hope you know not to expect too much.” _

_ All Jeonghan could do was nod, and push the thought out of his mind. Alam naman na niya, kaya nga hindi na siya umaasa. Kaya never siyang umasa. _

“Earth to Jeonghan?”

Jeonghan snapped out of his thoughts, seeing as they were already at the clinic. Joshua was parking his car, which just amplified the nerves.

“Hoy, kumalma ka dyan, hindi ka first lady.”

Hinampas lang ng bag ni Jeonghan si Joshua, at bumaba na ng sasakyan. Sabay silang naglakad patungo ng clinic. Oo, kabado si Jeonghan. Sino ba naman hindi kakabahan, eh practicum ito. Ito rin ang magtatakda (kind of?) ng career na gusto ni Jeonghan after graduation. Back when he was a freshman, he just dreamt of reaching this point--the final destination of his long and winding educational track, should he decide not to pursue postgraduate studies. Nakakainis, kasi kung kailan patapos na, tsaka siya kinakabahan.

Pagpasok ng clinic, binati agad sila ng mga tao, na para bang inaasahan na silang dalawa sa kanilang pagdating. A man kind of close to Sehun’s age approached the both of them, and introduced himself as Johnny Suh.

_ Ah, ito yung best friend ni Sehun. _

“Ang saya makakita ng BehSci ulit,” sabi ni Johnny habang iniikot sila sa clinic.

“BehSci ka rin po?” tanong ni Joshua.

“Yeah, blockmate ko si Sehun,” Johnny said, giving Jeonghan a knowing smile.

_ Again, ano bang alam niya? _

“Si Sehun yung stellar na estudyante sa block namin. Siya pa lang tumutuloy sa PhD. Karamihan sa amin, nagtatrabaho or nag masters, pero hanggang dun na lang.”

They just nodded as Johnny was touring them, and spilling everything about old department professors his batch used to have.

This was going to be a long day.

~•~•~•~•~•~

Nagpapaalam na sina Jeonghan at Joshua sa mga tao sa clinic, getting ready for the drive home. However, bago sila makaalis, hinila si Jeonghan saglit ni Johnny sa tabi.

“Yes po?” tanong ni Jeonghan.

“I finally know what Sehun saw in you,” Johnny said, with the most genuine smile plastered on his face. This left Jeonghan more confused.

“‘Wag mo sabihin na sinabi ko, pero mahalaga ka dun sa kaibigan kong ‘yon. Pagpasensyahan mo na lang minsan, hindi sanay sa ganito.”

“Ano pong ibig niyong sabihin?” tanong ni Jeonghan.

“Basta. Malalaman mo rin,” Johnny winked at him, then bid his goodbyes.

Pagkasakay ni Jeonghan sa sasakyan, litong-lito pa rin siya sa sinabi ni Johnny. Joshua had the worried look on his face while he was driving pabalik ng Maynila.

“Hey, did something happen?” asked his best friend.

“Wala,” Jeonghan chose to brush it off. “Ang kukulit ng mga bata kaya medyo pagod na ako.”

“I know what you mean,” sabi ni Joshua. “This just helped me make sure that I’ll go to law school after this.”

Natawa na lang si Jeonghan, knowing na hindi talaga mahilig si Joshua sa bata. Out of their friend group, siya lang ‘yung talagang kid person.

“Dinner daw sa Rob sabi ni Cheol, you good with that?” tanong ni Joshua, breaking the silence.

“Basta hindi manok, game ako,” sagot ni Jeonghan, nang sakto, nagring ang cellphone niya.

_ From: Mr. Sungit _

_ How was your first day? Nakakagigil yung mga bata ‘no? _

_ Miss ko na mag-center. :( _

Gusto na ihagis ni Jeonghan ang cellphone niya sa kilig. Iritang-irita siya sa pagtext ni Sehun, kasi naalala nanaman niya yung sinabi ni Johnny sa kanya.

_ To: Mr. Sungit _

_ Kapagod mga kids. Hinahanap ka nga sa amin kanina. Dalaw ka daw. :) _

Jeonghan didn’t bother checking his phone for the rest of the night habang nagdidinner sila nina Cheol, Wonwoo, at Jihoon--lahat ay pagod mula sa kani-kanilang practicum sites.

“May dahilan kung bakit ayaw ko ng HR,” sabi ni Jihoon. “Mas gusto ko pa mag clinical. Can’t wait for the next rot.”

“Saya kaya sa industrial,” pinagmalaki ni Cheol. “Ayaw mo lang sa opisina eh.”

Wonwoo just smiled at the sight, and said “Nako, Ward 5 pa naman kayong dalawa next month. Good luck. Ngayon pa lang, pagod na ako.”

“Try being in a clinic with kids every day. Sobrang kukulit! Right, Han?” binaling ni Joshua ang usapan sa practicum site nilang dalawa.

“Huh? Yeah.”

Wala na sa mood makipag-usap si Jeonghan, kaya nagpaalam na sa mga kaibigan at nauna nang pumanik ng condo.

~•~•~•~•~•~

_ 2nd semester, AY 2019-2020 _

_ January 2020 _

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

Nahuli si Jeonghan ni Sehun sa Correon na gumagawa ng thesis. Hindi naman nagsisinungaling si Sehun--totoong iniiwasan niya ang professor niya.

Habang nasa clinical rotation siya, panay ang kwento ni Johnny tungkol kay Sehun, na para bang may karapatan siyang malaman ang lahat? Litong-lito na nga si Jeonghan sa sarili niya, ginulo pa siya ni Johnny lalo.

_ “Alam mo Se, alam ko na kung bakit gustong gusto mo si Jeonghan.” _

_ Ano? _

_ Hindi makakibo si Jeonghan, muntikan na mabagsak ang hinahawak na tray na may mga gamit para sa next therapy session. Ayaw niya maniwala, ayaw niya na makinig. _

_ “Galing sa bata, bro. Matalino. Kita mo yung karakter niya. Two years mo nang hinihintay ‘to ah. Mukhang worth it. Support ako.” _

_ Narinig niyang binaba ni Johnny ang gamit, at umurong ang silya. Baka umupo siya? _

_ “Alam mo, nung sabi mo sa’kin na nagkakagusto ka sa estudyante mo, sobrang against it ako. Kasi syempre estudyante mo. Pero now, I see it, Se. I hope he feels the same way about you.” _

_ Hindi muna pumasok ng kwarto si Jeonghan para hindi halatang hindi niya narinig ang tawag ni Johnny kay Sehun. _

Kahit habang nagppracticum, nagkikita pa naman sina Jeonghan at Sehun, ngunit nang matapos ang semester, nagpasya munang lumayo ni Jeonghan. Hindi muna niya kinausap si Sehun noong Christmas break, na nagcarry over hanggang magstart ang second sem. Umuwi sina Jeonghan at Joshua ng Batangas, kasama si Seungcheol kasi kina Joshua siya namasko, bilang una nilang Pasko bilang magkasintahan. Sa buong break, hindi niya sinagot mga messages ni Sehun, kahit ang mga text man lang. Hindi niya alam anong mukha ang ihaharap niya sa prof niya pagbalik, pero buti na lang, wala siyang klase sa kanya this sem.

“No,” mariin na sabi ni Jeonghan.

“May nangyari ba?” Sehun sat in front of Jeonghan, but the younger one didn’t bother to look up from his laptop.

“Wala, busy lang,” sabi ni Jeonghan. Ayaw niyang ilayo ang mata sa thesis kasi baka hindi na kayanin ng mga emosyon niya.

Pero wala, mahina siya. Basta para kay Sehun, mahina siya.

“Jeonghan…”

Inangat na ni Jeonghan ang mga mata, para itapat kay Sehun. For the first time in quite a while, naramdaman nanaman ni Jeonghan ang mabilis na pagtibok ng puso--na para bang nagmamadali itong tumakbo… Papunta o palayo? Hindi niya masiguro.

“Alam ko na.”

Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Sehun panandalian (huling-huli), pero madali ring binawi ito ng propesor. “Ha? Ang alin?”

“Na may gusto ka sa’kin.”

Naramdaman na ni Jeonghan ang tensyon sa hangin, but for some reason, he knew that they both needed to address the elephant in the room. He at least owed that to him.

“Pwede ka magsalita, you know,” bulong ni Jeonghan.

Sehun looked up to meet his eyes. “How long?”

“Practicum pa. Pakisabi sa kaibigan mo, rinig ng buong center boses niya,” sinubukan ni Jeonghan magjoke para kahit papaano, gumaan ang atmosphere sa Correon. Judging by the pissed off look on Sehun’s face, hindi siya natawa.

“Kaya mo ako hindi kinibo? Kasi hindi mo nirereciprocate? Jeonghan, you could have told me you knew,” Sehun whispered; the pain in his voice could be heard, and that broke Jeonghan even more. Pero alam niya na hindi pa pwede. Na wala pang pwede mamagitan sa kanila, kahit binabalik ni Jeonghan ang mga nararamdaman ni Sehun. Hindi pa pwede.

“Sehun, kailan pa?”

Sehun looked like he didn’t want to answer it, pero he did anyway. “Noong ginagawa mo palang dito paper mo sa 150.”

_ Fuck? _

“Sabi ko, cute naman nun. Tabihan ko nga. Tsaka sakto, wala nang upuan,” Sehun started to share his story.

“To be fair, hindi ko alam noon na estudyante pala kita. Gusto ko na sana umalis, kaso kita kong hirap ka. You were frustrated with something so easy, which made me laugh internally. Pero nakita ko yung determination mo to finish it, which had me enamored. And then I got to know you better, which just made me fall deeper, Jeonghan.”

The younger couldn’t say anything--he wanted to tell Sehun that he too felt the same, but he couldn't. At least, not now.

“Say something,” Sehun whispered. “Please.”

Jeonghan gathered the courage to do the right thing for both of them. “Siguro mabuting ‘wag muna tayo magkita sa labas ng klase.”

Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Sehun--mukhang iba ang gusto sabihin. Ngunit para sa ikatatahimik muna ng buhay (at puso) ni Jeonghan, kailangan niya bigyan ng panahon ito. Ang pokus ay dapat nakatuon sa thesis niya, lalo na’t pinayagan na siya magsimula sa data collection. He can’t afford distractions, lalo na kung professor din niya ito. Mahirap na kung pumalo sa thesis defense tapos may ganitong issue.

“Jeonghan, please…”

“Sehun, bigay mo na sa akin ‘to. One sem lang,” kulang na lang halos magmakaawa si Jeonghan, kasi hindi niya na alam kung kaya pa ng puso niya. Kailangan lumayo.

“Jeonghan--”

“One sem lang. That’s all I ask.”

Hindi naman kaya ni Jeonghan lumayo. Pero alam niyang kailangan muna. They both need the space.

“Okay,” mahinang sabi ni Sehun.

“Okay,” sabi ni Jeonghan, sabay alis na ng Correon. Inunahan niya na ang mga luhang nagbabadyang tumulo mula sa kanyang mga mata.

He can’t afford it if Sehun sees him cry.

~•~•~•~•~•~

“Ano?!”

Pinatawag ni Seungcheol ang buong barkada sa condo nila, dahil sa tagal-tagal ng mga nagaganap, ngayon lang nagsabi finally si Jeonghan kay Seungcheol.

“Wait, so he told you he likes you?” inquired Joshua.

“Well, not in those words…”

“Teka, paintindi mo muna sakin,” kitang-kita ang hilong-hilo na Jihoon trying to piece together the two years worth of information na naabsorb niya. “Si Sir Sehun? At ikaw?”

Wonwoo nodded for Jeonghan, who was still crying. “It was bound to happen naman. Gulat nga akong ngayon lang sinabi ni Jeonghan. Halatang halata kaya noong Psych 171.”

“Oo, tuwing may activity, si Jeonghan yung kinukulit. Akala ko lang e paborito ni Sir si Jeonghan,” kumento ni Jihoon. “Yun pala, bago pa lang siya magpakilalang prof, may gusto na siya kay Jeonghan.”

“Han.”

Inangat ni Jeonghan ang mga mata para tignan si Seungcheol. Hiyang-hiya siya sa kaibigan dahil ang tagal niyang hindi sinabi dito ang pinagdadaanan nito.

“Loko ka talaga, sana sinabi mo samin,” sabi ni Seungcheol sabay yakap sa kaibigan.

Naluha nanaman si Jeonghan sa suporta ng mga kaibigan, at sa pagdamay sa panahon na kailangang kailangan niya sila. Si Jihoon na kakatapos lang ng gig, dumiretso sa condo nila. Si Wonwoo na taga kabilang unit lang, pumunta kahit tulog na siya dapat. Hindi alam ni Jeonghan anong ginawa niya sa past life niya para madeserve ang mga kaibigan niya.

“So, what now?” tanong ni Jihoon habang umo-order ng pagkain mula sa Jollibee.

“Hmm?”

“Ji’s right, Han,” sabi ni Joshua. “What’s next? After niya umamin?”

“Sabi ko ‘wag muna kami magkita for one sem.”

“Ha?!”

Gulantang ang mga kaibigan niya sa narinig. Kumuha ng unan si Jihoon at hinagis kay Jeonghan, habang sumisigaw ng “Libra ka talaga!” Inaawat na lang siya ni Wonwoo, na tawang tawa sa lahat ng nagaganap. Si Seungcheol naman, tawa nang tawa sa sofa, parang mawawalan ng hininga. Pinagmamasdan lang ni Joshua ang mga kaganapan sa gilid-gilid.

“Tigilan niyo nga ako!” natatawang sigaw ni Jeonghan. “Ano ba kayo, ito yung tamang gawin.”

“Sige, fine, totoo naman,” sabi ni Joshua. “Pero Jeonghan, sure ka ba?”

“Kailangan, Shuji.”

~•~•~•~•~•~

_ April 12, 2020 _

Pabalik na si Sehun sa faculty room ng department after teaching his last class for the day. The days seemed lonely and slower since he and Jeonghan decided not to see each other outside of school. Mahirap, kasi laging nandun si Jeonghan sa department para magpaconsult sa thesis adviser niya, the only time that they acknowledge each other’s existence. However, he loves Jeonghan enough to respect his space and his need for time. Lalo na’t thesis season na, at dito nakabinbin kung gagraduate ba siya.

“Sehun!” bati sa kanya ni Sir Junmyeon, isa sa mga naging professor din niya noong undergrad siya, na ngayon, department chair na. “May pa-birthday ka ba?”

“Nagpadeliver ako pizza sir!” masayang sabi niya sa kanyang mentor.

“Yun, naks naman. Sige hintayin namin ‘yan,” asar ni Sir Minseok, isa rin sa mga mentors niya sa department.

Umupo na si Sehun sa kanyang cubicle at nagcheck ng emails. May isang nagstandout, at hindi niya akalain pang may dadating mula sa kanya.

**Jeonghan Yoon** **Happy Birthday**

Takot si Sehun buksan ang email, pero at the same time, he was excited to hear from Jeonghan. Ilang buwan rin silang magkalayo.

He opened the email, and much to his surprise, he never knew he could feel this overwhelmed.

_ Hi Sir Sungit, _

_ Pagbigyan mo na ako. Alam kong sabi ko one sem, pero birthday mo naman. Yiie. Alam ko namang gusto mo rin ‘to. Namiss mo ako eh. _

_ So nagsusulat kasi ako ng chapter 5 ng thesis ko, and I decided to take a break. Malapit na defense, eh. Kailangan ikayod para sa kinabukasan, you know. _

_ So wala, napasend ako ng email kasi hindi pa kita kaya kausapin nang personal. Baka sapakin ako nila Cheol kasi sabi ko, tatapusin ko yung one sem na ‘yon--for both you and I. Pero birthday mo nga, at, sige na, aaminin ko na, miss din kita. _

_ Happy birthday, Sungit. Tumatanda ka na. Papizza ka naman dyan. _

_ Okay, so ito na talaga. _

_ Happy birthday, Sehun. _

_ Thank you for being one of the best professors I have ever encountered. You offered a fresh perspective to a discipline that’s constantly changing, which helped all of us very often. Thank you for allowing us to be political, even when people keep saying that psychology shouldn’t be political (pero sa mundo ng mga dapat ‘yon). Our block genuinely appreciates your constant guidance and mentorship, lalo na even if it’s not a psych subject. Ultimo socio and anthro, you give us pieces of advice to use. Sa totoo lang, ikaw ang favorite prof namin. Kaya nga ikaw ang kinuhang org adviser ni Cheol, kasi mas matutulungan mo kaming lahat maggrow. _

_ Happy birthday, Sungit. _

_ Thank you for being the bright light at the end of the tunnel. That night two years ago, I knew I never expected to gain a friend, much less a mentor. Thank you for being there. Thank you for guiding me, encouraging me, and even telling me off when you know I’m getting sidetracked. Your constant presence in my life is something I am thankful for each year. _

_ Sungit, may isang buwan pa tayo, pero dito ko na lang sa email sasabihin, kasi hindi na rin ako makapaghintay. Kilala mo ako, ang Librang walang pasensya. :) _

_ Sehun, pinili kong lumayo, kasi ayoko pa mahulog kahit hulog na hulog na ako. _

_ Oo, mahal na ata kita. _

_ Char. Mahal na nga talaga kita. _

_ Kaya pakitiis muna ang ilang buwan? Then can we try? _

_ If you’ll have me. _

_ Happy birthday, ulit. I love you. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Jeonghan Yoon _

~•~•~•~•~•~

_ June 26, 2020 _

_ Graduation Day _

_ PICC _

Hindi makapaniwala ang barkada na lahat sila gagraduate na talaga. Parang noong isang araw lang, freshman sila ng pamantasang inaatim pasukin ng maraming kabataan. Ngayon, nairaos nila ang apat na taon at nakapagtapos sa unibersidad na ito. It still feels so surreal, that Jeonghan can’t believe he’s wearing his Sablay at last.

“Tangina, tapos na tayo,” yakap ni Seungcheol sa barkada.

Lahat sila nakapagtapos nang may honors. Joshua and Seungcheol finished cum laude, while Jeonghan, Jihoon, and Wonwoo were the only magna cum laude graduates of their course.

“Walang kalimutan?” sabi ni Jeonghan sa mga kaibigan.

“Natural!” pilit pinapahid ni Jihoon ang mga luha niya.

“Ang makalimot, ninong ng mga anak natin. Deal?” sabi ni Joshua.

“Safe pala ako dyan,” sabi ni Wonwoo. “Ako pinaka matalas ang memorya dito eh.”

Habang nag-iiyakan at nagyayakapan sila, napatigil si Joshua, at kinalabit si Jeonghan. Sumenyas siyang tumingin sa likod nila, at nakita na nga ang hindi inaasahan.

Si Sehun. Nakasablay din.

_ Tangina, sabi ko ang cute niya. Lord, bakit ang gwapo niya today? _

May hawak na papel, at inabot nang tahimik kay Jeonghan.

Gago, inabutan ng interview guide.

“Niloloko mo ba ako?” iritang sabi ni Jeonghan.

Tawang tawa ang barkada, pati na rin si Sehun. “Basahin mo kaya muna. Galit agad?”

Jeonghan proceeded to read the interview guide, na nagpatulo nanaman ng mga luha sa kanyang mga mata.

  * **_Kung tatanungin ka, magpapaligaw ka ba kay Sehun Oh? At bakit?_**


  * Sino dapat una niyang ligawan? At bakit?


  * Bakit sa tingin mo, ang gwapo mo ngayon?


  * Ano ang pangarap mong buhay?


  * May plano ka ba mag postgrad? Para alam ni Sehun kung paano ka tutulungan.


  * Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?


  * Kasama ba si Sehun sa mga plano mo?


  * Last question, pero pwede na ba ako manligaw?



“Tangina mo!” sigaw ni Jeonghan, sabay niyakap si Sehun.

“So, pwede ba makahingi na ng sagot?” ngumisi si Sehun, at hinigpitan ang yakap sa binata.

Hinawakan ni Jeonghan ang kanyang kamay, at sinabi ang pinakanakakatakot na pwedeng marinig ng isang manliligaw.

“Pakilala muna kita kina Mama.”

Sehun took his hand gladly, leading him into a sea of the unknown. Whatever the unknown was, they were willing to face it.

_ Together. _


End file.
